The Internet of Things, or IoT for short, is the process of connecting things or devices to the Internet via network devices or routers to facilitate data exchange and communication between them as well as remote access. This method is also self-sufficient, meaning it can operate any device without human intervention.
Google Cloud architecture, sometimes called GCP, uses the same internal architecture as Google services and consumer products, such as YouTube and Google Search, to offer various cloud computing services for intelligent transformation. Under GCP, Google provides a range of services, including:
- Google BigQuery Service
- Google App Engine
- Google Cloud DataLab
- Google Cloud DataFlow
- Google Cloud SQL
Google’s IoT space includes a crucial service called Google Cloud IoT Core. Using Google Cloud IoT API, a fully managed service, we can easily and securely connect, monitor, and collect data from devices connected to the Internet. Furthermore, it allows for real-time collection, processing, organization, and display of IoT data for other services on the Google Cloud Platform.
What is Google Cloud IoT Core?
Google Cloud IoT Core is a fully managed service that allows you to easily and securely connect, manage, and ingest data from millions of globally dispersed devices.
Cloud IoT Core, in combination with other services on the Google Cloud IoT platform, provides a complete solution for collecting, processing, analyzing, and visualizing IoT data in real-time to support improved operational efficiency.
What are the Components of Google Cloud Platform IoT?
One of the standout features of Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is its specialized offerings for Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT PLATFORM. GCP’s serverless architecture is particularly advantageous for scalability, making it an ideal choice for projects with big store data needs where growth and adaptability are key concerns. Moreover, it incorporates services for massive amounts of data analytics, API management, and cloud computing. Below are some key GCP IoT Core components used for IoT solutions:
BigQuery:
This is a cloud-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model developed by Google for storing and processing large datasets via SQL queries. Unlike transactional databases such as MySQL and MongoDB, BigQuery is one of the best alternative solutions, and it serves as a highly scalable analytical database.
Cloud IoT Core:
This fully managed service enables secure and straightforward connection, management, and massive amounts of data ingestion from internet-connected devices. It integrates with other Cloud Platform services to allow real-time collection, processing, management, and visualization of IoT data.
Additionally, it supports Pub/Sub, an asynchronous service-to-service communication method suited for serverless and microservices architectures. This model ensures immediate data receipt by all subscribers of a topic, facilitating event-driven architectures.
Hardware:
Google provides a version of Android tailored for IoT devices, known as Android Things. This platform allows developers to seamlessly manage and deploy software updates to devices’ operating systems.
Cloud Functions:
These are used to route data upon its entry into the Pub/Sub topics with familiar capabilities. A Cloud Function is essentially a piece of JavaScript code triggered by specific events, running autonomously without the need for infrastructure management, as Google handles this.
How to Get Started with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Before you begin, here are some steps you need to prepare:
1. Select or create a Cloud Platform project.
First, navigate to this URL, to start your project: https://console.cloud.google.com/project
Once you have created your project, take note of the auto-generated ID. We will need it for the next sections:
2. Enable billing for your project.
In the Cloud Console, click the Navigation menu > Billing.
Set the billing account for your project:
If you enabled your billing successfully, you will be redirected to this dashboard:
Congratulations, you enabled billing for your account!
3. Enable the Google Cloud Internet of Things (IoT) Core API.
After that, visit the following URL to enable the Google Cloud Internet of Things (IoT) Core API:
https://console.cloud.google.com/flows/enableapi?apiid=cloudiot.googleapis.com, or simply search for “iot” on the Google Cloud Console:
Next, register your application for Google Cloud Platform IoT Core:
You have enabled the IoT Core API!
How to Activate Google Cloud Shell?
Cloud Shell is a virtual machine that is loaded with development tools. It offers a persistent 5GB home directory and runs on the Google Cloud. Cloud Shell provides command-line access to your Google Cloud resources.
First, in the Google Cloud Console, in the top right toolbar, click the Activate Cloud Shell button.
Cloud Shell provides command-line access to your Google Cloud resources.
For the first command, you can list the active account name with this command:
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1 |
gcloud auth list |
When you want to execute your first command, this window will show up. Click “Authorize”:
Be patient! It takes a few moments to connect to the environment. When you connect and receive authorization, the project is set to your PROJECT_ID. For example:
List the project ID with this command:
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1 |
gcloud config list project |
The Project_ID is an auto-generated name that Google assigns when you first set up your project in the Google Cloud Console (see the previous section).
How to Create a Pub/Sub Topic for Your Google Cloud IoT Core?
1. In the Cloud Console, click the Navigation menu > Pub/Sub > Topics:
2. Click + CREATE TOPIC from the top menu:
3. Give the topic the ID cloud-builds and click CREATE TOPIC:
4. If you created your Pub/Sub Topic successfully, then this dashboard will show up:
How to Create a Device Registry for IoT Core?
1. First, in the Cloud Console, click Navigation menu > IoT Core.
2. Click Create Registry and set the following fields (you will need to click on the Show Advanced Options button):
| Field | Value |
| Registry ID | apilayer-iot |
| Region | us-central1 |
| Cloud Pub/Sub Topics | Select a Cloud Pub/Sub Topic Select the default cloud-builds topic from the drop-down. |
| Click Show Advanced Options | |
| Device State Topic | Leave at the default value |
| Protocols | MQTT only |
| Cloud Logging | Ignore |
| CA Certificate | Ignore |
Here is the screenshot of the field:
Advanced Options:
3. Finally, click Create. You should see a similar page once you have successfully created your registry:
You’ve just created a device registry with a Cloud Pub/Sub topic for publishing device telemetry events! The next section is about adding a device to the registry.
How to Add a Device to the Registry?
1. On the IoT Core page, click on Devices in the left menu, then click + Create a Device.
2. Then, set the following fields (you will need to click on the COMMUNICATION, CLOUD LOGGING, AUTHENTICATION link):
| Field | Value |
| Device ID | my-device |
| Click COMMUNICATION, CLOUD LOGGING, AUTHENTICATION | |
| Device Communication | Allow |
| Authentication | Default value (for now) |
| Public Key Format | Default value (for now) |
| Public Key Value | Default value (for now) |
3. Finally, click Create.
You’ve just added a device to your registry! The device won’t be able to connect to Google Cloud without a valid key.
How to Add a Public Key to the Device?
For your device to transmit telemetry data through the cloud, you must add a key to the device.
1. In Cloud Shell, run the following command to create an RS256 key:
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git clone https://github.com/googleapis/nodejs-iot |
Table of Contents
3. Navigate to the Cloud IoT Core samples in the samples directory:
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cd nodejs-iot/samples/mqtt_example |
You’ll complete the rest of these steps in this directory.
4. Copy the private key to the current working directory, using this command:
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cp ../../../rsa_private.pem . |
5. Install the Node.js dependencies:
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npm install |
6. Run the following command to create a subscription:
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gcloud pubsub subscriptions create \ projects/$PROJECT_ID/subscriptions/my-subscription \ --topic=projects/$PROJECT_ID/topics/apilayer-iot |
7. Download the root certificate:
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1 |
wget https://pki.goog/roots.pem |
8. Run the following command to connect a virtual device to Cloud IoT Core using the MQTT bridge:
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node cloudiot_mqtt_example_nodejs.js \ mqttDeviceDemo \ --projectId=$PROJECT_ID \ --cloudRegion=us-central1 \ --registryId=apilayer-iot \ --deviceId=my-device \ --privateKeyFile=rsa_private.pem \ --numMessages=25 \ --algorithm=RS256 \ --serverCertFile=roots.pem \ --mqttBridgePort=443 |
The output shows that the sample device is publishing messages to the telemetry topic. Twenty-five messages are published.
9. Run the following command to read the messages published to the telemetry topic:
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gcloud pubsub subscriptions pull --auto-ack \ projects/$PROJECT_ID/subscriptions/my-subscription |
Repeat the subscriptions pull command to view additional messages:
Telemetry events should be visible in the IoT Core Monitoring section:
Congratulations! You created a Cloud IoT Core device registry, connected a device, and published device telemetry events.
How to Integrate apilayer API with node.js on Google Cloud Platform?
In this section, we will demonstrate how to add a weather forecast API to your IoT app. We will use weatherstack API, one of the powerful products from apilayer.
weatherstack is a real-time & historical world weather data API service that gives you access to real-time and historical world weather data. Furthermore, it can retrieve instant and accurate weather information for any area in the world — from a multi-year history all the way to live information and accurate weather forecasts.
Powered by a best-in-class cloud infrastructure, weatherstack API delivers data in milliseconds around the clock with an uptime of nearly 100%, which makes it trusted due to its rock-solid uptime and speed.
The following are the simple steps to get you started:
1. Requirement 1: Get your API access key, by following this simple documentation.
2. Requirement 2: Install axios.
axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and node.js. Here is how you can install it on GCP using npm:
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1 |
npm install axios |
3. Open up nano command line text editor to create a new file:
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nano weatherstackDemo.js |
4. Write the following node.js code inside nano text editor:
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 |
const axios = require('axios'); const params = { access_key: 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY', query: 'Texas' } axios.get('http://api.weatherstack.com/current', {params}) .then(response => { const apiResponse = response.data; console.log(`Current temperature in ${apiResponse.location.name} is ${apiResponse.current.temperature}℃`); }).catch(error => { console.log(error); }); |
5. Save and exit nano by pressing CTRL+X, when prompted to save the file, press Y.
6. Run weatherstackDemo.js:
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node weatherstackDemo.js |
Congratulations, you have successfully interacted with the weatherstack API inside Google Cloud Platform!
Security Best Practices for IoT Devices
These are a few managed services recommended strategies to enhance your company’s IoT security.
Track and manage your devices
Device management within a company can be challenging without understanding each device’s function. Understanding your organization’s linked devices is the first step to Google IoT core infrastructure security. Continuous smart device management software can monitor, find, track, and manage devices to protect your company from further threats.
Consider patching and remediation efforts
Patching and remediation change device code over time to improve security. Before installing a networked device for data collection, businesses must determine if it can be patched to fight changing threats. Some devices have restricted capabilities or are too difficult to patch. Thus, before adding an IoT device to your network, remediation must be addressed.
Update passwords and credentials
Update passwords may seem antiquated, yet many sold gadgets use a vendor-supplied default password. Cybercriminals can simply exploit these credentials and take control of these devices. To keep your devices secure, update passwords and credentials often.
Use up-to-date encryption protocols
Unencrypted data lets thieves steal important data or listen to network talks. To guard against IoT risks, enterprises must encrypt all network data. Updating data encryption algorithms makes all network data unreadable to unauthorized users, making it more secure.
Conduct penetration testing or evaluation
Smart, connected devices are vulnerable because they seek simplicity and connection. Businesses must penetration test hardware, software, and other equipment before deploying IoT devices. A penetration test evaluates vulnerabilities, security policies, regulatory compliance, staff security awareness, risk response, etc.
Segment your network
Assume hackers when adding IoT devices to your network. That prepares you for a breach. Subdividing computer networks might help your firm prepare for a cyberattack. Segmenting prevents unauthorized users from infecting neighboring subnetworks. This lowers segregated application important data reach.
Use multi-factor authentication with high accuracy AI
Two-factor authentication is surpassed by multi-factor authentication. Users must provide two or more verification factors to reach resources using multi-factor authentication. It also helps you in safe and secure data collection through GCP IOT core solutions.
What is APILayer, and What Makes it Trusted by 1 Million++ Customer Worldwide?
APILayer is an unparalleled suite of productivity-boosting Web APIs & cloud-based microservice applications for developers and companies of any size.
The world’s most innovative companies use APILayer to gain efficiency by automating data verification, lookup, and verification using straightforward API interfaces. Thousands of applications also request currency data every day, and hundreds of thousands of users leverage APILayer’s microservice APIs to automate workflows. One example of a powerful API offered by APILayer is an IP geolocation API.
Are You Ready to Empower Your IoT Devices and Systems with Powerful APIs?
As you can see, there are rich real-time, historical, and weather forecasting features provided by the weatherstack REST API endpoint that you can connect to any Cloud platform in any programming language you work with.
In this article, we provide a comprehensive demo of how to set up the Google Cloud IoT Core environment and empower it with the Weatherstack REST API.
Take advantage of the free tier on weatherstack. We strongly recommend you upgrade your subscription plan if you need more powerful features (Full Historical Data, Forecast Data, Hour-by-Hour Data, Astronomy Data, and many more!) or contact us for a custom solution. We can’t wait to see what you build with our REST API!
FAQs
Can I run node JS on Google Cloud?
With choices for serverless, Kubernetes, virtual machines, or bespoke hardware, Google Cloud gives you the flexibility to execute your Node.js apps in the most optimal environment.
How do I enable Google IoT Core API?
Navigate to APIs & services for your project in the Google Cloud interface. Select the Private APIs link on the Library page. You have not been given authorization to enable the API if it is not mentioned. Select the API you wish to make active.
What programming languages can I use with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Numerous programming languages, including Java, Python, Go, and Node.js, are supported by Google Cloud IoT Core. Client libraries that offer all the familiar capabilities for interfacing with managed cloud service are available for these languages.
Can I process IoT data in real-time with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Indeed, real-time processing of IoT data is possible with Google IoT Core. Integrating with Google Cloud Pub/Sub allows a stream of data to be ingested and made instantly available for analytics, which helps with real-time data processing.
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1 |
export PROJECT_ID=<YOUR_PROJECT_ID> |
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1 |
gcloud config set project $PROJECT_ID |
2. Next, get the Cloud IoT Core Node.js samples from GitHub by cloning the full Node.js repository. Enter the following command to clone the repo:
3. Navigate to the Cloud IoT Core samples in the samples directory:
You’ll complete the rest of these steps in this directory.
4. Copy the private key to the current working directory, using this command:
5. Install the Node.js dependencies:
6. Run the following command to create a subscription:
7. Download the root certificate:
8. Run the following command to connect a virtual device to Cloud IoT Core using the MQTT bridge:
The output shows that the sample device is publishing messages to the telemetry topic. Twenty-five messages are published.
9. Run the following command to read the messages published to the telemetry topic:
Repeat the subscriptions pull command to view additional messages:
Telemetry events should be visible in the IoT Core Monitoring section:
Congratulations! You created a Cloud IoT Core device registry, connected a device, and published device telemetry events.
How to Integrate apilayer API with node.js on Google Cloud Platform?
In this section, we will demonstrate how to add a weather forecast API to your IoT app. We will use weatherstack API, one of the powerful products from apilayer.
weatherstack is a real-time & historical world weather data API service that gives you access to real-time and historical world weather data. Furthermore, it can retrieve instant and accurate weather information for any area in the world — from a multi-year history all the way to live information and accurate weather forecasts.
Powered by a best-in-class cloud infrastructure, weatherstack API delivers data in milliseconds around the clock with an uptime of nearly 100%, which makes it trusted due to its rock-solid uptime and speed.
The following are the simple steps to get you started:
1. Requirement 1: Get your API access key, by following this simple documentation.
2. Requirement 2: Install axios.
axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and node.js. Here is how you can install it on GCP using npm:
3. Open up nano command line text editor to create a new file:
4. Write the following node.js code inside nano text editor:
5. Save and exit nano by pressing CTRL+X, when prompted to save the file, press Y.
6. Run weatherstackDemo.js:
Congratulations, you have successfully interacted with the weatherstack API inside Google Cloud Platform!
Security Best Practices for IoT Devices
These are a few managed services recommended strategies to enhance your company’s IoT security.
Track and manage your devices
Device management within a company can be challenging without understanding each device’s function. Understanding your organization’s linked devices is the first step to Google IoT core infrastructure security. Continuous smart device management software can monitor, find, track, and manage devices to protect your company from further threats.
Consider patching and remediation efforts
Patching and remediation change device code over time to improve security. Before installing a networked device for data collection, businesses must determine if it can be patched to fight changing threats. Some devices have restricted capabilities or are too difficult to patch. Thus, before adding an IoT device to your network, remediation must be addressed.
Update passwords and credentials
Update passwords may seem antiquated, yet many sold gadgets use a vendor-supplied default password. Cybercriminals can simply exploit these credentials and take control of these devices. To keep your devices secure, update passwords and credentials often.
Use up-to-date encryption protocols
Unencrypted data lets thieves steal important data or listen to network talks. To guard against IoT risks, enterprises must encrypt all network data. Updating data encryption algorithms makes all network data unreadable to unauthorized users, making it more secure.
Conduct penetration testing or evaluation
Smart, connected devices are vulnerable because they seek simplicity and connection. Businesses must penetration test hardware, software, and other equipment before deploying IoT devices. A penetration test evaluates vulnerabilities, security policies, regulatory compliance, staff security awareness, risk response, etc.
Segment your network
Assume hackers when adding IoT devices to your network. That prepares you for a breach. Subdividing computer networks might help your firm prepare for a cyberattack. Segmenting prevents unauthorized users from infecting neighboring subnetworks. This lowers segregated application important data reach.
Use multi-factor authentication with high accuracy AI
Two-factor authentication is surpassed by multi-factor authentication. Users must provide two or more verification factors to reach resources using multi-factor authentication. It also helps you in safe and secure data collection through GCP IOT core solutions.
What is APILayer, and What Makes it Trusted by 1 Million++ Customer Worldwide?
APILayer is an unparalleled suite of productivity-boosting Web APIs & cloud-based microservice applications for developers and companies of any size.
The world’s most innovative companies use APILayer to gain efficiency by automating data verification, lookup, and verification using straightforward API interfaces. Thousands of applications also request currency data every day, and hundreds of thousands of users leverage APILayer’s microservice APIs to automate workflows. One example of a powerful API offered by APILayer is an IP geolocation API.
Are You Ready to Empower Your IoT Devices and Systems with Powerful APIs?
As you can see, there are rich real-time, historical, and weather forecasting features provided by the weatherstack REST API endpoint that you can connect to any Cloud platform in any programming language you work with.
In this article, we provide a comprehensive demo of how to set up the Google Cloud IoT Core environment and empower it with the Weatherstack REST API.
Take advantage of the free tier on weatherstack. We strongly recommend you upgrade your subscription plan if you need more powerful features (Full Historical Data, Forecast Data, Hour-by-Hour Data, Astronomy Data, and many more!) or contact us for a custom solution. We can’t wait to see what you build with our REST API!
FAQs
Can I run node JS on Google Cloud?
With choices for serverless, Kubernetes, virtual machines, or bespoke hardware, Google Cloud gives you the flexibility to execute your Node.js apps in the most optimal environment.
How do I enable Google IoT Core API?
Navigate to APIs & services for your project in the Google Cloud interface. Select the Private APIs link on the Library page. You have not been given authorization to enable the API if it is not mentioned. Select the API you wish to make active.
What programming languages can I use with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Numerous programming languages, including Java, Python, Go, and Node.js, are supported by Google Cloud IoT Core. Client libraries that offer all the familiar capabilities for interfacing with managed cloud service are available for these languages.
Can I process IoT data in real-time with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Indeed, real-time processing of IoT data is possible with Google IoT Core. Integrating with Google Cloud Pub/Sub allows a stream of data to be ingested and made instantly available for analytics, which helps with real-time data processing.
|
1 |
nano rsa_cert.pem |
3. Now, copy the contents of rsa_cert.pem to the clipboard, including the —–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—– and —–END CERTIFICATE—–.
4. Exit the editor with CTRL + X.
5. In the Cloud Console, on the Authentication tab for the device you created, click Add public key.
6. Enter the following values:
| Field | Value |
| Input method | Enter manually |
| Public key format | RS256_X509 |
| Public key value | Paste contents of rsa_cert.pem |
| Public key expiration date | Default value |
7. Click Add.
8. An RS256_X509 key is now listed for your device.
How to Run a Node.js Sample to Connect a Virtual Device and View Telemetry
1. In Cloud Shell run the following, replacing <YOUR_PROJECT_ID> with your Project ID:
2. Next, get the Cloud IoT Core Node.js samples from GitHub by cloning the full Node.js repository. Enter the following command to clone the repo:
3. Navigate to the Cloud IoT Core samples in the samples directory:
You’ll complete the rest of these steps in this directory.
4. Copy the private key to the current working directory, using this command:
5. Install the Node.js dependencies:
6. Run the following command to create a subscription:
7. Download the root certificate:
8. Run the following command to connect a virtual device to Cloud IoT Core using the MQTT bridge:
The output shows that the sample device is publishing messages to the telemetry topic. Twenty-five messages are published.
9. Run the following command to read the messages published to the telemetry topic:
Repeat the subscriptions pull command to view additional messages:
Telemetry events should be visible in the IoT Core Monitoring section:
Congratulations! You created a Cloud IoT Core device registry, connected a device, and published device telemetry events.
How to Integrate apilayer API with node.js on Google Cloud Platform?
In this section, we will demonstrate how to add a weather forecast API to your IoT app. We will use weatherstack API, one of the powerful products from apilayer.
weatherstack is a real-time & historical world weather data API service that gives you access to real-time and historical world weather data. Furthermore, it can retrieve instant and accurate weather information for any area in the world — from a multi-year history all the way to live information and accurate weather forecasts.
Powered by a best-in-class cloud infrastructure, weatherstack API delivers data in milliseconds around the clock with an uptime of nearly 100%, which makes it trusted due to its rock-solid uptime and speed.
The following are the simple steps to get you started:
1. Requirement 1: Get your API access key, by following this simple documentation.
2. Requirement 2: Install axios.
axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and node.js. Here is how you can install it on GCP using npm:
3. Open up nano command line text editor to create a new file:
4. Write the following node.js code inside nano text editor:
5. Save and exit nano by pressing CTRL+X, when prompted to save the file, press Y.
6. Run weatherstackDemo.js:
Congratulations, you have successfully interacted with the weatherstack API inside Google Cloud Platform!
Security Best Practices for IoT Devices
These are a few managed services recommended strategies to enhance your company’s IoT security.
Track and manage your devices
Device management within a company can be challenging without understanding each device’s function. Understanding your organization’s linked devices is the first step to Google IoT core infrastructure security. Continuous smart device management software can monitor, find, track, and manage devices to protect your company from further threats.
Consider patching and remediation efforts
Patching and remediation change device code over time to improve security. Before installing a networked device for data collection, businesses must determine if it can be patched to fight changing threats. Some devices have restricted capabilities or are too difficult to patch. Thus, before adding an IoT device to your network, remediation must be addressed.
Update passwords and credentials
Update passwords may seem antiquated, yet many sold gadgets use a vendor-supplied default password. Cybercriminals can simply exploit these credentials and take control of these devices. To keep your devices secure, update passwords and credentials often.
Use up-to-date encryption protocols
Unencrypted data lets thieves steal important data or listen to network talks. To guard against IoT risks, enterprises must encrypt all network data. Updating data encryption algorithms makes all network data unreadable to unauthorized users, making it more secure.
Conduct penetration testing or evaluation
Smart, connected devices are vulnerable because they seek simplicity and connection. Businesses must penetration test hardware, software, and other equipment before deploying IoT devices. A penetration test evaluates vulnerabilities, security policies, regulatory compliance, staff security awareness, risk response, etc.
Segment your network
Assume hackers when adding IoT devices to your network. That prepares you for a breach. Subdividing computer networks might help your firm prepare for a cyberattack. Segmenting prevents unauthorized users from infecting neighboring subnetworks. This lowers segregated application important data reach.
Use multi-factor authentication with high accuracy AI
Two-factor authentication is surpassed by multi-factor authentication. Users must provide two or more verification factors to reach resources using multi-factor authentication. It also helps you in safe and secure data collection through GCP IOT core solutions.
What is APILayer, and What Makes it Trusted by 1 Million++ Customer Worldwide?
APILayer is an unparalleled suite of productivity-boosting Web APIs & cloud-based microservice applications for developers and companies of any size.
The world’s most innovative companies use APILayer to gain efficiency by automating data verification, lookup, and verification using straightforward API interfaces. Thousands of applications also request currency data every day, and hundreds of thousands of users leverage APILayer’s microservice APIs to automate workflows. One example of a powerful API offered by APILayer is an IP geolocation API.
Are You Ready to Empower Your IoT Devices and Systems with Powerful APIs?
As you can see, there are rich real-time, historical, and weather forecasting features provided by the weatherstack REST API endpoint that you can connect to any Cloud platform in any programming language you work with.
In this article, we provide a comprehensive demo of how to set up the Google Cloud IoT Core environment and empower it with the Weatherstack REST API.
Take advantage of the free tier on weatherstack. We strongly recommend you upgrade your subscription plan if you need more powerful features (Full Historical Data, Forecast Data, Hour-by-Hour Data, Astronomy Data, and many more!) or contact us for a custom solution. We can’t wait to see what you build with our REST API!
FAQs
Can I run node JS on Google Cloud?
With choices for serverless, Kubernetes, virtual machines, or bespoke hardware, Google Cloud gives you the flexibility to execute your Node.js apps in the most optimal environment.
How do I enable Google IoT Core API?
Navigate to APIs & services for your project in the Google Cloud interface. Select the Private APIs link on the Library page. You have not been given authorization to enable the API if it is not mentioned. Select the API you wish to make active.
What programming languages can I use with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Numerous programming languages, including Java, Python, Go, and Node.js, are supported by Google Cloud IoT Core. Client libraries that offer all the familiar capabilities for interfacing with managed cloud service are available for these languages.
Can I process IoT data in real-time with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Indeed, real-time processing of IoT data is possible with Google IoT Core. Integrating with Google Cloud Pub/Sub allows a stream of data to be ingested and made instantly available for analytics, which helps with real-time data processing.
|
1 2 |
openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout rsa_private.pem -nodes \ -out rsa_cert.pem -subj "/CN=unused" |
2. Run ls command in Cloud Shell, and you will see the following files:
Open the rsa_cert.pem with the nano editor:
3. Now, copy the contents of rsa_cert.pem to the clipboard, including the —–BEGIN CERTIFICATE—– and —–END CERTIFICATE—–.
4. Exit the editor with CTRL + X.
5. In the Cloud Console, on the Authentication tab for the device you created, click Add public key.
6. Enter the following values:
| Field | Value |
| Input method | Enter manually |
| Public key format | RS256_X509 |
| Public key value | Paste contents of rsa_cert.pem |
| Public key expiration date | Default value |
7. Click Add.
8. An RS256_X509 key is now listed for your device.
How to Run a Node.js Sample to Connect a Virtual Device and View Telemetry
1. In Cloud Shell run the following, replacing <YOUR_PROJECT_ID> with your Project ID:
2. Next, get the Cloud IoT Core Node.js samples from GitHub by cloning the full Node.js repository. Enter the following command to clone the repo:
3. Navigate to the Cloud IoT Core samples in the samples directory:
You’ll complete the rest of these steps in this directory.
4. Copy the private key to the current working directory, using this command:
5. Install the Node.js dependencies:
6. Run the following command to create a subscription:
7. Download the root certificate:
8. Run the following command to connect a virtual device to Cloud IoT Core using the MQTT bridge:
The output shows that the sample device is publishing messages to the telemetry topic. Twenty-five messages are published.
9. Run the following command to read the messages published to the telemetry topic:
Repeat the subscriptions pull command to view additional messages:
Telemetry events should be visible in the IoT Core Monitoring section:
Congratulations! You created a Cloud IoT Core device registry, connected a device, and published device telemetry events.
How to Integrate apilayer API with node.js on Google Cloud Platform?
In this section, we will demonstrate how to add a weather forecast API to your IoT app. We will use weatherstack API, one of the powerful products from apilayer.
weatherstack is a real-time & historical world weather data API service that gives you access to real-time and historical world weather data. Furthermore, it can retrieve instant and accurate weather information for any area in the world — from a multi-year history all the way to live information and accurate weather forecasts.
Powered by a best-in-class cloud infrastructure, weatherstack API delivers data in milliseconds around the clock with an uptime of nearly 100%, which makes it trusted due to its rock-solid uptime and speed.
The following are the simple steps to get you started:
1. Requirement 1: Get your API access key, by following this simple documentation.
2. Requirement 2: Install axios.
axios is a promise-based HTTP client for the browser and node.js. Here is how you can install it on GCP using npm:
3. Open up nano command line text editor to create a new file:
4. Write the following node.js code inside nano text editor:
5. Save and exit nano by pressing CTRL+X, when prompted to save the file, press Y.
6. Run weatherstackDemo.js:
Congratulations, you have successfully interacted with the weatherstack API inside Google Cloud Platform!
Security Best Practices for IoT Devices
These are a few managed services recommended strategies to enhance your company’s IoT security.
Track and manage your devices
Device management within a company can be challenging without understanding each device’s function. Understanding your organization’s linked devices is the first step to Google IoT core infrastructure security. Continuous smart device management software can monitor, find, track, and manage devices to protect your company from further threats.
Consider patching and remediation efforts
Patching and remediation change device code over time to improve security. Before installing a networked device for data collection, businesses must determine if it can be patched to fight changing threats. Some devices have restricted capabilities or are too difficult to patch. Thus, before adding an IoT device to your network, remediation must be addressed.
Update passwords and credentials
Update passwords may seem antiquated, yet many sold gadgets use a vendor-supplied default password. Cybercriminals can simply exploit these credentials and take control of these devices. To keep your devices secure, update passwords and credentials often.
Use up-to-date encryption protocols
Unencrypted data lets thieves steal important data or listen to network talks. To guard against IoT risks, enterprises must encrypt all network data. Updating data encryption algorithms makes all network data unreadable to unauthorized users, making it more secure.
Conduct penetration testing or evaluation
Smart, connected devices are vulnerable because they seek simplicity and connection. Businesses must penetration test hardware, software, and other equipment before deploying IoT devices. A penetration test evaluates vulnerabilities, security policies, regulatory compliance, staff security awareness, risk response, etc.
Segment your network
Assume hackers when adding IoT devices to your network. That prepares you for a breach. Subdividing computer networks might help your firm prepare for a cyberattack. Segmenting prevents unauthorized users from infecting neighboring subnetworks. This lowers segregated application important data reach.
Use multi-factor authentication with high accuracy AI
Two-factor authentication is surpassed by multi-factor authentication. Users must provide two or more verification factors to reach resources using multi-factor authentication. It also helps you in safe and secure data collection through GCP IOT core solutions.
What is APILayer, and What Makes it Trusted by 1 Million++ Customer Worldwide?
APILayer is an unparalleled suite of productivity-boosting Web APIs & cloud-based microservice applications for developers and companies of any size.
The world’s most innovative companies use APILayer to gain efficiency by automating data verification, lookup, and verification using straightforward API interfaces. Thousands of applications also request currency data every day, and hundreds of thousands of users leverage APILayer’s microservice APIs to automate workflows. One example of a powerful API offered by APILayer is an IP geolocation API.
Are You Ready to Empower Your IoT Devices and Systems with Powerful APIs?
As you can see, there are rich real-time, historical, and weather forecasting features provided by the weatherstack REST API endpoint that you can connect to any Cloud platform in any programming language you work with.
In this article, we provide a comprehensive demo of how to set up the Google Cloud IoT Core environment and empower it with the Weatherstack REST API.
Take advantage of the free tier on weatherstack. We strongly recommend you upgrade your subscription plan if you need more powerful features (Full Historical Data, Forecast Data, Hour-by-Hour Data, Astronomy Data, and many more!) or contact us for a custom solution. We can’t wait to see what you build with our REST API!
FAQs
Can I run node JS on Google Cloud?
With choices for serverless, Kubernetes, virtual machines, or bespoke hardware, Google Cloud gives you the flexibility to execute your Node.js apps in the most optimal environment.
How do I enable Google IoT Core API?
Navigate to APIs & services for your project in the Google Cloud interface. Select the Private APIs link on the Library page. You have not been given authorization to enable the API if it is not mentioned. Select the API you wish to make active.
What programming languages can I use with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Numerous programming languages, including Java, Python, Go, and Node.js, are supported by Google Cloud IoT Core. Client libraries that offer all the familiar capabilities for interfacing with managed cloud service are available for these languages.
Can I process IoT data in real-time with Google Cloud IoT Core?
Indeed, real-time processing of IoT data is possible with Google IoT Core. Integrating with Google Cloud Pub/Sub allows a stream of data to be ingested and made instantly available for analytics, which helps with real-time data processing.
